Whether you are extending a home in Leyland, building out in Penwortham or developing land on the Preston fringe, understanding the local daylight requirements in South Ribble is an important early step. South Ribble Borough Council is the local planning authority (LPA) for the area – Lancashire County Council does not decide householder or residential planning applications here. This guide explains the adopted policy position and how daylight and sunlight are assessed in practice.
Daylight requirements in South Ribble: the policy framework
South Ribble forms part of the Central Lancashire planning area, so the statutory development plan is made up of two complementary documents:
- The South Ribble Local Plan (covering 2012-2026), adopted by Full Council on 22 July 2015, which allocates land and sets development management policies; and
- The Central Lancashire Core Strategy, adopted in 2012 and shared with Preston and Chorley, which provides the strategic vision and design objectives to 2026.
The policies most relevant to daylight, sunlight and overshadowing are:
- Local Plan Policy G17 (Design Criteria for New Development), which requires high-quality design and the protection of residential amenity. In practice, spatial separation distances between proposed and existing dwellings are assessed under G17 to prevent undue overlooking, loss of privacy, overshadowing and overdominance.
- Central Lancashire Core Strategy Policy 17 (Design of New Buildings), which expects new buildings to respect the character and appearance of the local area and effectively mirrors Policy G17.
These work alongside the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which requires a good standard of amenity for existing and future occupiers.
The three Central Lancashire authorities are also preparing a new joint Central Lancashire Local Plan 2023-2041, which was submitted for independent examination on 30 June 2025 and was the subject of public hearings into early 2026. Until that plan is adopted, the South Ribble Local Plan 2015 and the 2012 Core Strategy remain the documents against which applications are determined, although the emerging plan may begin to carry weight as it advances.
Is there a daylight and sunlight SPD in South Ribble?
South Ribble does not have a Supplementary Planning Document devoted solely to daylight and sunlight. The Council uses design guidance such as the B2 Village Development SPD and applies Building for Life principles alongside Policy G17 and Core Strategy Policy 17 when assessing the quality and amenity impact of development. Because there is no bespoke local numerical daylight standard, daylight and sunlight assessments are carried out against the recognised national technical guidance:
- BRE BR 209 (2022) – Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight: A Guide to Good Practice, the basis for the Vertical Sky Component (VSC), daylight distribution (no-sky line), Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) and overshadowing of amenity space.
- BS EN 17037 – the British and European daylight standard, used for the daylight provision of new dwellings.
- The NPPF and Planning Practice Guidance, applied through Policy G17 and Core Strategy Policy 17.
In other words, the development plan supplies the amenity policy, and BRE BR 209 (2022) supplies the technical method that case officers expect to see addressed.
What this means for development in Leyland, Penwortham and the Preston fringe
South Ribble's settlement pattern influences how daylight issues come up:
- Leyland has a mix of inter-war and post-war housing alongside its historic core and former industrial sites, so infill and backland development are common and need careful VSC and overlooking assessment against neighbouring habitable room windows.
- Penwortham and the northern parts of the borough sit on the Preston fringe across the River Ribble, where suburban plots and continued housing pressure make separation distances and the relationship between new and existing dwellings a frequent point of assessment under Policy G17.
- The borough's villages and edge-of-settlement sites combine larger gardens with sensitive settings, where sunlight to amenity space and gardens is an important consideration.
A clear daylight and sunlight report prepared to BRE BR 209 (2022) helps demonstrate compliance with Policy G17 and Core Strategy Policy 17, supports the case officer, and reduces the risk of neighbour objections about loss of light.
How Fortress Associates can help
Fortress Associates provides our daylight and sunlight report service for homeowners, architects and developers across South Ribble and the rest of the UK. Our reports are prepared to BRE BR 209 (2022) and BS EN 17037 and are written to support your application under the relevant Local Plan and Core Strategy policies. We typically deliver within a 4 to 5 working day turnaround, with no advance payment required. We also prepare Building Regulations drawings where your project needs them. See our full list of services or get in touch for a quote.
Sources & further reading
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